Swindon Bats Sports & Social Club for Visually Impaired People

Tony Martin Bowling Challenge 2018

After the success of last year’s event, another Tony Martin Bowling Challenge was organised by
the Zurich Community Trust for Thursday, 29 November. As usual we all gathered at Tenpin Swindon at 6.30 pm to take part in this event.

There were six teams of five players which consisted of a mixture of Swindon Bats, Zurich and
Capita members. Two games were played with a short interval between games so that players could replenish their glasses.

Sighted players were asked to wear simulation glasses for frames 4, 5, 6 and 7, and one or two
decided to play blindfolded. There was a lot of excitement when strikes and spares were scored, and everyone had a good time.

Sponsored Bowlathon 2018

On 10 October 7 of our members took part in a sponsored bowlathon to raise money for Swindon
Bats. The preparation for this event has been going on for some time with players recruiting sponsors from their friends and families, all wishing to raise as much money as they
can.

The day arrived and all participants turned up at Tenpin Swindon, Shaw Ridge Leisure Park,
Whitehill Way, Swindon, SN5 7DN, at 12 noon and were excited to get started. Play began at around 12.30 pm.

Players were asked to play as many games as they felt able to
so 3 played 10 games, 2 played 8, 1 7, and 1 4. Play finished at about 5 pm with the remaining bowlers feeling very tired but exhilarated by what they had
achieved.

The total pinfall from all 7 bowlers was 6434 and an
estimated total of £700 has been raised.

Thank you to Tenpin Swindon for their support of this event –
it is very much appreciated.

Game

Glynn

Stuart

Diana

Sue

Georgia

Jane

Shaun

1

123

121

85

84

175

100

109

2

84

155

74

83

153

105

131

3

125

142

74

123

107

107

150

4

109

125

65

110

105

117

149

5

101

123

X

77

106

117

162

6

112

112

X

75

99

118

123

7

91

114

X

65

121

95

122

8

103

145

X

100

143

X

122

9

X

X

X

104

108

X

154

10

X

X

X

107

110

X

115

Total
Games

8

8

4

10

10

7

10

Total
Pinfall

848

1037

298

928

1227

759

1337

Average

106

130

75

93

123

108

134

Great Western Hotel Staff v
Swindon Bats

The staff of the Great Western Hotel took on Swindon Bats at
tenpin bowling on 8 October at Tenpin Swindon. It was arranged that everyone would arrive at between 6.30 and 6.45 pm so that shoes could be changed and balls selected ready to begin playing at
7 pm.

Everyone arrived and were excited to begin the match. The first game began at around 7 pm
and the staff of the Great Western Hotel were asked to wear simulation glasses for frames 4, 5, 6, and 7 which they agreed to do. Some of the staff members tried bowling wearing a blindfold and
managed to score better. How does that happen?!

We had a short break after game 1 for glasses to be refilled and facilities to be used. At
this stage the score was Swindon Bats 4, Great Western Hotel 0.

Game 2 began with lots of banter as strikes and spares were
scored. Again the Great Western Hotel staff wore simulation glasses during frames 4, 5, 6 and 7. The final score was Swindon Bats 8, Great Western Hotel 0. Shaun managed to be the
highest scorer for the Bats and Mark scored highest for the Great Western Hotel.

Everyone had a good time and we hope to have a re-match some time in the new year. These
were the teams:

10 Pin Match v Zurich Community Trust

20th September 2018

Wow, What a Match!

It was with great anticipation that, on 20 September 2018, a team from Swindon Bats met with a
team from the Zurich Community Trust to play tenpin bowling. We arrived between 6.30 and 6.45 pm ready to change shoes, get drinks and select balls for the match.

The fun began at around 7 pm with game one of two being played. There was lots of
excitement as strikes and spares were bowled. During frames 4, 5, 6 and 7 the Zurich team were required to wear simulation glasses so that they were able to get a feel for what bowling with
various eye conditions is like.

After a short interval to refill glasses, game 2 began with more excitement and plenty of
banter. More strikes and spares were bowled and the final score was Swindon Bats 6, Zurich Community Trust 2. Trophies were presented to the highest scorer of each team – Andrew for
Zurich Community Trust who scored 132, and Shaun for Swindon Bats who scored 176. Congratulations to both.

Thank you to Ollie and his team for organising this very successful event – a very good time was
had by all.

NBTBA Winter Trios 2018/2019 - Fixtures Announced

BREAKING NEWS!

One of our teams playing in the National
Blind Tenpin Bowling Association's Summer Doubles competition has made it through to the finals.

Bats Strikers (Georgia, Stuart and Russ)
will take part in the national finals on Saturday, 10 November 2018 in Wigan, and we hope they will be successful.

Good luck guys, but, most of all, enjoy
the weekend.

Donate to Swindon Bats at No Cost to You!

We have registered with AmazonSmile - a system through which Amazon donates to charities at no cost to the shopper.

What is AmazonSmile?

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop
atsmile.amazon.co.uk, you’ll find the exact same low
prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. You can
choose from over one million organizations to support.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go tosmile.amazon.co.uk from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to
smile.amazon.co.uk to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

Remember to select Swindon Bats Sports & Social Club as your charity to support!

Tom Ferguson Memorial Competition 2018-19

Tom was a jolly Scotsman who could always put a smile on our faces. He
enjoyed tenpin bowling and was very disappointed when he had to give it up in 2015. He was a very popular member of Swindon Bats.

The competition for 2018-19 started on 6th June with a new handicapping
system. The handicaps are recalculated every week resulting in a closer competition.

Monday Club

The Monday Club meets once a fortnight for chat, a cuppa and fun and games. Dates for 2018 can
be found on our activities page.

SWINDON BATS,
RECRUITING NOW

Free membership to the Registered Blind or Visually Impaired.

Sighted Volunteers Needed!

At present the club only has two sighted volunteers to help as Pin Spotters when we play
tenpin bowling. Pin Spotters tell us what pins we have knocked down and which ones remain standing. They also help with finding balls and putting them away again. They may also be required to guide
someone who does not see well enough to find their way around. If you are available for a few hours on Wednesday afternoons and would like to help and make new friends, please contact
us.

Swindon Bats are just like you,The only difference is what we view,We’re men & women with different levels of sight,Anything from an impairment to dark as night,We often meet for coffee go on outings and trips,Learn about new technology and share useful tips,We have a wide range of ages from 18 to mature,Using guide dog’s white canes to sticks and more,But the best thing of all is we Tenpin Bowl every week,In a national blind league True as we speak,We’ve been National Champions more than once come 2nd and 3rd too,We often win medals, and cups well we’ve won a few,We bowl against local companies like Zurich and Nationwide,Capita Lloyds Bank and others besides,It’s all for fun to show how life still goes on,Despite our disability when God’s mould went wrong,So if life sometimes seems tough unfair and unkind,Pick up a Bowling Ball as it works for the Blind.